In Wake of Ash Clouds and Travel Chaos, European Seafood Exposition Sails On
By JOHN M. SAULNIER, QFFI Chief Editor & Publisher

Visitors to the ESE stroll past stands of Argentina’s Arheh Group and Holland’s NorthSeafood while going to and from the busy Spanish pavilion. Seventy countries, including Latvia for the first time, were represented in national pavilions.

World’s biggest show of its kind draws large crowds, as usual. And for the first time ever, a marketer of value-added convenience products from India wins prestigious Prix d’Elite Award.

In the end, the 18th annual European Seafood Exposition and its companion Seafood Processing Europe fair went off without a hitch, as buyers and sellers from more than 140 countries around the world rendezvoused in Brussels to conduct business pretty much as usual. Some 24,226 visitors showed up to see the latest goods and services on display at the stands of 1,635 companies from 76 countries. The exhibits occupied 33,500 square meters of space in seven halls, one of which was dedicated exclusively to equipment and logistics solutions providers.

For a while, though, it looked like the no-fly zone over much of Europe, caused by ongoing volcanic eruptions in Iceland, would turn the annual ESE/SPE into a “no-buy zone.” Fortunately, less than a week before doors opened at Parc des Expositions on April 27, high-altitude ash clouds spewed by Eyjafjallajokull had dissipated enough to permit resumption of normal flight patterns across the skies of northern Europe.

Brussels Airport and other international gateways were reopened to traffic just in time for exhibitors from beyond the continent to ship and clear air cargo ranging from fish and seafood products to packaging equipment and stand decor. This followed a shutdown of airspace for nearly a week, during which time carriers lost more than $1 billion in revenues, according to the International Air Transport Association.

As the smoked cleared and the sun shined brightly during the three-day ESE/SPE event, small-talk conversations among Asian and North American exhibitors tended to center on transit and logistics stories recounting how they succeeded in getting goods and gear to the show just in the nick of time. Many Europeans, at least those who traveled to the ESE by automobile or rail, were talking about the euro’s weakening value vis-a-vis the dollar, in wake of the financial crisis in Greece and the growing sovereign debt burden impacting much of the continent’s southern tier as well as Ireland and the UK.
There were also jokes about current events to be heard. “We asked for cash, not ash,” quipped a Dutch seafood buyer to an Icelandic supplier. The one-liner was in reference to the $5 billion that holders of insolvent “Icesave” internet savings bank accounts in Holland and Britain are trying to collect from the financially-strapped Icelandic government.

The response from the man from Reykjavik, who asked that his name not appear in this report, was: “Kiss my ash!”

There was scant evidence of no-show exhibitors, with just a few small islands of vacant stand shells among a deep and wide sea of busy booths and packed pavilions. The number of cancellations attributed to disruptive fallout from volcanic blasts and belches could be counted on one hand, Nancy Hasselback, president of show organizing company Diversified Business Communications, told Quick Frozen Foods International (QFFI) magazine.

L’Essence of Celebration

The prize winning Prawn Lollipop from L’Essence Foods’ Dish Hospitality line of convenience seafood products may be prepared via oven baking, pan or deep frying.

Chefs Vikas Seth and Amandeep Singh (third and fifth from left, holding the Seafood Prix d’Elite special award for convenience products) are seen with other prize winners basking in the limelight during the tenth running of the awards ceremony held in conjunction with the European Seafood Exposition in Brussels.

On day two of the expo, the India pavilion was buzzing more than usual, as one of its own was still celebrating after winning the Seafood Prix d’Elite special award for convenience products the night before. Mumbai-based L’Essence Foods’ Dish Hospitality Prawn Lollipop entry took the prize, and in so doing it became the first Indian company to be victorious in the competition. Over 43 finalists were considered for prizes in the contest, which was judged by an independent panel of five European retail and foodservice buyers.

“We have high hopes for the product,” Chef Amandeep Singh said to QFFI during an interview conducted only a few hours before the Seafood Prix d’Elite winners were announced. “The tasty appetizer is made from prawns marinated in an Achari spice blend of anise, mustard, coriander, onion and cumin. It is then coated with pressed rice flakes and attached to a sugar cane stick which makes for easy eating and a juicy finish.”

Mr. Singh, who together with Chef Vikas Seth are the creative culinary forces behind Dish Hospitality, has assembled a team to create international flavors for frozen food and ready-to-eat food market segments, and bring together gastronomical delights.

“This is a prime example of how innovative players in the Indian seafood industry are shifting from the role of commodity supplier to value-added product manufacturing and marketing,” said Neeha Kukreja, luxury brand executive for L’Essence Foods. “We offer an extensive product line of recipes that range from regional flavors to world cuisine favorites.”

Utilizing tiger prawns sourced from West Coast Frozen Foods, other products in the line include Makhani Prawn S’cone, which features a tomato-based mild curry with flavorful dried fenugreek leaves in cone parcels; and Prawn Toffee Tandoori, which is marinated in a typical North Indian masala of red chilies, coriander and spices wrapped in pastry.

Grand prizes in the 2010 Prix d’Elite competition went to Prins & Dingemanse of Yerseke, Holland, for its retail Oyster Tasting Platter, featuring a dozen Zeeland, French and flat oysters in a three-compartment package; and Grant’s Smokehouse of Maryport, England, for its healthy-eating, Omega-3 fatty acid-loaded MacKnight’s Smoked Salmon Bacon foodservice product.

Among other products that triumphed were: Barcelona, Spain-based Krustagroup’s Langostino Austral Pelado peeled and deveined Argentinean Red Shrimp in black tray skin packs, which copped best retail packaging honors; ready-to-serve seafood and sauce items under Grimsby, United Kingdom-based Seachill’s Sauce Fish Co. line; and Heidema and van der Ploeg North Sea Shrimp Stock from the Heiploeg Group’s Oostende, Belgium-based Morubel production unit, which was recognized for its health and nutrition attributes.

Heiploeg also used the ESE occasion to introduce new presentations of Caribbean Seabob Shrimp (Xiphopenaeus kroyeri) to the European market. Marinated with sun-dried tomatoes and rosemary, the latest recipe is distributed in 250-gram retail packs. Other configurations are available on request, containing sizes of shrimp, which may range from 90/110 to 300/500 pieces per pound.

Sourced from South American waters along the coasts of Suriname and Guyana, the sustainable white shrimp serves up as “firm meat with a delightfully sweet taste,” said Chris Meskens, the company’s project manager for marketing. “We also offer a ginger/lemongrass marinade, and both may be used as starters or as components in pasta or rice dishes.”

Fishermans Choice Managing Director Ruud van Zuidam (bottom, left, wearing a red tie) and his team are seen working hard and having fun at the same time at the Dutch frozen seafood company’s stand in Hall 6.

Among other new frozen items showcased at the Heiploeg stand were: Pantagonian Scallops marinated in galanga ginger and lemongrass, distributed in 250-gram retail boxes; Garlic Herb and Lemon Rosemary Marinated Butterfly Shrimp in microwaveable trays; Breaded Prawn Crusties in curry, fine garden herb, sweet chili and piri piri varieties; Wok Prawns featuring Vannamei shrimp with Thai Curry, Garlic & Parsley, Chili, Tex-Mex and Tomato Herb coating; Prawn Carpaccio; and a Vannamei Prawn Selection Platter featuring various mini-skewers of peeled shrimp that come with hot and spicy dipping sauce.

ESE show-goers making their way to the Fishermans Choice stand were offered a Super Choice of new products, as that is the sub-brand name for a line of seven value-added items ranging from Dim Sum Shrimpers and Golden Orientals to Noodle Shrimps, Torpedo Shrimps and BBQ-Gourmet-Tapas skewers.

“This is a special range of sustainable products for the retail market that is produced by our reliable suppliers in East Asia under BAP (Best Aquaculture Practices) standards,” said Ruud van Zuidam, managing director of the Den Haag, Holland-headquartered company.

While paying a visit to the crowded Fishermans Choice stand, QFFI editors learned from Mr. Van Zuidam some of the secrets of his team’s 20-plus years of success in the European marketplace.
“From the beginning we had the intention to sell more than just quality shrimp or surimi items,” he explained. “Indeed, our intention was to stand out in the market. For this reason we have put a lot of effort and investment into achieving our goals. As a result, today we can proudly present Fishermans Choice as a leading brand.

“We bring more than 100 products under this colorful brand, and pay a lot of attention to the attractiveness of our products,” he continued. “Therefore we use sea blue as the main color, representing the idea that for us freshness and fish are one. All our packaging is according to the latest EEC legislation. Moreover, all products come with handy cooking tips printed in eight to 10 languages.”

Farm-raised shrimp from Saudi Arabia was front and center at the stand of National Prawn Company (NPC). The desert coastal aquaculture firm, under the leadership of Managing Director Eng. Ahmad Rasheed Al Ballaa, currently produces over 14,000 tons of white prawns (Peneaus indicus) per annum. His goal is to boost output to 43,000 tons by 2012.

Based along the Red Sea coast, south of Jeddah in Al-Lith, privately-owned NPC ranks as one of the largest fully integrated prawn farm operations in the world. It runs 12 farms, each of which contains 28 to 30 grow-out ponds situated on approximately 10 hectares of land.

“About half of our production is exported to Asia, one third is consumed domestically in Saudi Arabia, and most of the rest is sold in Europe,” said Laurence Cook, director of corporate communications. “We are currently shipping about three tons a week to the United Kingdom, and a relatively small quantity of large-size prawns end up on the North American market.”

More than US $350 million was initially invested in the farming complex, which employs over 2,500 people who turn out a wide assortment of frozen head-on and headless prawns, in addition to value-added cutlets, nobashi butterfly, easy-peel and sushi-grade shrimp.

Nizam Syed Nazeeruddin, manager of engineering and technology, told QFFI that seawater is used in every aspect of production – from the hatchery stage to harvesting. “All output is guaranteed to be antibiotic-free as well as fully sustainable, with 100% traceability and ISO accreditation,” he assured.

With 10 years of successful of prawn production and marketing under its belt, the company is looking to expand at other desert locations. It is also keen on pursuing additional aquaculture opportunities, among them the raising of Amberjack and other fish species.

Blue is the New Green

This Maersk Line reception in Hall 4 was very well attended. The gathering gave the Copenhagen, Denmark-headquartered shipper a nice opportunity to meet and greet clients and potential customers, and talk about its services and environmentally-friendly efforts in a relaxed atmosphere over food and drink.

The subject of climate change and what Maersk Line is doing to lessen its carbon footprint was a discussion that David Pawlan and Jacob Sterling were eager to engage in with QFFI editors at the Copenhagen, Denmark-headquartered company’s stand.

“Caring for marine resources and the environment is of great importance,” said Sterling, who is general manager of sustainability. “We are already one of the most CO2-efficient shipping companies in the world, having reduced our emissions by 15% per container moved from 2002 to 2008. By 2017, we intend to cut emissions by a further 20%.”

Pawlan, who serves as general manager of reefer management and global seafood for Maersk Line, pointed out that that ocean shipping is by far the most CO2 efficient way to transport seafood over long distances. “For example,” he said, “transporting salmon from Norway to Korea in one of our reefer containers emits 25 times less CO2 than if you were to move it by air.

Surf’s Up for Sushi Toppings

Sushi of all kinds was presented at the show, as bars and restaurants serving up the popular raw fish and rice combinations have proliferated in Europe during recent years. Rotterdam, Holland-based Culimer rolled out an assortment of smoked toppings called Kunsei at ESE.

The range consists of plain maguro saku and saku sesame (both tuna offerings) and shiro maguro (butterfish), distributed frozen in 250- to 400-gram blocks, which makes for easy preparation and portion control.

“Japanese chefs are quite happy with its arrival, and plan to adopt the Kunsei range on their menus,” said Maarten van Geest, communication manager of the company. “Consumers always look for new products, and chefs say they expect extra spin-off by implementing the smoked taste in their assortment.

Vermillion Ambience at ESE

While holding forth at the same location in Hall 9 for a number of years now, the pleasing look and elegant ambience of the Seamark Group stand was quite different this time around. And for those who stopped by for lunch in the tastefully decorated, relaxed setting, the menu enjoyed featured plenty of tasty shrimp sourced from East Asia and the Indian subcontinent.

When this writer caught up by chance with Seamark founder Iqbal Ahmed OBE at a restaurant near the Grand Place one night after show hours, it quickly became clear who was behind the exquisite design of the ESE stand.

“John, please let me introduce you to Miguel Cancio Martins,” said the chairman and ceo. “He is the designer of our Vermillion Restaurant and Cinnabar in Manchester, and the creator of the Buddha Bar in Paris.”

Martins’ creative touch, which is attributed in great measure to inspirations from his hometown of Lisbon, was much in evidence at Seamark’s eye-appealing stand, where Vermillion chefs were serving up signature dishes with style throughout the expo’s duration.

There were plenty of products for buyers to “harvest” at Oslo, Norway-headquartered Marine Harvest ASA’s expansive stand in Hall 5.

Iqbal’s son Manzur Ahmed, who runs the Manchester, England-headquartered company’s hospitality division, is in charge of the luxurious and opulent Vermillion Restaurant and Cinnabar. In two years’ time it has become a trendy hot spot for Thai-inspired cuisine lovers, some of whom are popular celebrities from the arts and sports worlds.

Among the Master Chef’s Specials menued in May, and sampled at the ESE in late April, were Prawns Hawaiian (tossed with Thai red curry flavored mayonnaise and pineapple, accompanied with a seasonal green salad) and Pla Prik Gaeng (deep fried fillet of tilapia topped with herbal curry served with jasmine rice).

Making the scene with a large presence, as usual, was Oslo, Norway-headquartered Marine Harvest ASA. In addition to salmon products, the world’s largest producer of farm-raised Atlantic salmon also showcased a number of whitefish items.

Its multitude of value-added seafood offerings included a Salmon Wrap, featuring a flour tortilla filled with smoked fish, marinated tomatoes, chives and sour cream. Other innovations included a Salmon Custom Tart, accented with broccoli and crab and a homardine sauce, and a Tartar of Smoked Salmon mixed with Parmesan cheese, roasted pine nuts, olive oil, basil and garlic.